Swarthmore College senior Anne Kolker can pinpoint the moment when she regained her faith in the American political system.

It came over three years ago, when she was a newly arrived first-year at Swarthmore. After returning to the U.S. from living abroad for most of her life, Kolker was searching for a better understanding of the driving forces of American politics and hoping for some relief from the cynicism of the 2004 election.

She found this relief when her father sent her the link to a speech given at the Democratic National Convention by Barack Obama, who was, at the time, a relatively unknown state senator from Illinois. As Kolker watched Barack Obama speak on getting beyond partisan politics and unifying the country, she was brought to tears.

“This is it; this is what I was waiting for,” Kolker said. “That speech still makes me cry whenever I watch it. It was love at first sight, I guess.”

As Obama’s popularity increased and he received increasing media attention, Kolker, like many other young supporters, began following his career. When he decided to run for the presidency, Kolker was eager to help in any way she could and, when the opportunity presented itself, she became the state coordinator of Pennsylvania Students for Barack Obama. …